


Take My Hand (Wreck My Plans)

by unspokenfaith



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV), Winx Club
Genre: Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Musa and Riven are both clueless idiots, idiots to lovers, minor Musa/Sam, minor Riven/Beatrix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29363544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unspokenfaith/pseuds/unspokenfaith
Summary: “I need you to do something for me,” she said.“Well, hello to you, too.”“Hi.” She pulled a smile that was anything but genuine. “I need you to be my boyfriend.”He stared at her for a moment, hoping some sort of explanation would follow. For a mind fairy, she did a fair job of hiding her thoughts. Maybe that was the point.“Look, I’m flattered, but I like to be properly wooed before committing to anything serious,” he said. “Besides, you’re not really my type.”***or, Musa and Riven enter a mutually beneficial agreement by pretending to date.
Relationships: Musa/Riven (Fate: The Winx Saga), Musa/Riven (Winx Club)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 220





	Take My Hand (Wreck My Plans)

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it's not a ship of mine if I don't write them fake dating. Rivusa was one of my biggest OTPs when I was younger, and I never would've imagined I'd love them this much in the new show, too, but here we are.
> 
> Manifesting a slow burn enemies to friends to lovers arc for these kids.
> 
> Shout out to my fellow clowns, Saarah and Jordan, for helping me bring this concept to life.

Sometimes Musa thought the only place she could really feel peace was the oak tree at the far corner of the courtyard. 

With her headphones on, the students wandering between classes or back to their dorm rooms faded into the background of her indie playlist—the one she used to concentrate on her work.

Over the past few months, she had gotten better at tuning out the people around her. All their anxiety, frustration, excitement could be turned off if she focused enough of her energy. That was the problem, though. It took energy. Most of the time it would only work on one person at a time. And even then, the heavy weight of their emotions didn’t disappear completely, just dwindled into vague discomfort. Still, it was an improvement.

Fortunately, her music helped her make good progress on her Poisons assignment—relatively speaking. She came outside nearly an hour ago and she had half a page done, which was half a page more than she had before. 

After typing another sentence, deleting it, then mentally cursing whoever made Poisons a subject, she was hit with a sudden burst. A strange blend of angst, arrogance, and something else that could’ve been both or neither. _Riven_.

She felt him standing over her, but she didn’t look up, and she definitely wasn’t going to take her headphones off. No matter what mood he was in, Riven never failed to be _loud_. Sometimes it was irritating, other times it was humorous. But it was _always_ distracting. And right now, with an essay due first thing tomorrow morning, that was the last thing she needed.

However, because he was unfortunately not an empath himself, he didn’t seem to get the message. Or more likely, because he was Riven, he simply just didn’t care.

“What’cha working on?” he asked, and when she didn’t bite, continued, “Must be important.”

Musa sighed, pushing her headphones down. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

Noting his training attire and the staff in his hand, he did. Maybe the extra reminder was needed.

Riven shrugged, moving to sit down next to her, back against the tree, which wasn’t really the answer she wanted.

“Ah, Poisons. Why didn’t you just come to me? That was my best class last year.” He said it with so much confidence, if he was lying she had no idea.

“Really?” 

He snorted. “No. Poisons was a pain in the ass.”

“Well, then I really don’t know what you’re still doing here,” she said pointedly, reaching for her headphones again.

“Let me take a look.” 

Before she could react, Riven pulled her laptop over and tilted the screen up, squinting. 

“Does it kill you to say please once in a while?”

“Yeah, it does, actually.” 

Musa watched him scan the lines on her screen, brows furrowed together. His nose always scrunched up when he did that. She saw it enough times to know—in the library doing homework with the others, or looking at something on his phone in the canteen. It’s like he couldn’t focus otherwise. 

“Right, there you go,” he said. 

When he handed her computer back, she readjusted the screen. Instead of the two paragraphs she found before, she found one line on the otherwise blank document: _Poisons are dangerous. That’s all the shit you need to know_.

“Funny,” she said, immediately undoing his work. “Ever thought there’s a reason Poisons was a pain in your ass?”

Ignoring her slight, Riven picked up his staff, spinning it in his hands. The motion was oddly mesmerizing. It took her away from everything else, like her music.

“Poisons is much easier when you stop giving a shit, trust me,” he said. 

“Forgive me if I don’t take _your_ advice on this one.”

He smiled to himself, but she felt a sting. _His_ sting. But before she had time to dwell on it or what it meant, Sam approached, and for the first time since Riven arrived, she was acutely aware of how their shoulders were touching. She moved slightly, pretending to readjust her position. A chill moved through her body as she did so—or rather, the absence of some warmth. 

“Hey…” Sam said to her, but his gaze was directed more to Riven. Rarely did she feel anything from him, but right now it was something strong and deep, prickling her skin. 

Glancing between them, Riven finally pushed himself up. “Right, well, I better get to training.”

Musa opened her mouth, but he was already on his way to the grounds. Meanwhile, Sam occupied the spot he was in only moments ago. She moved to make room, distancing herself from the unpleasant sensation he radiated, although it started to subside. She wished she could say it was the first time she felt it from him. 

But since they both knew she knew exactly how he felt, she wasn’t going to beat around the bush anymore.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, closing her laptop and setting it aside.

“What do you mean what’s...” When she gave him a look, he faltered. “It’s nothing.”

Then it was like the gears shifted into place—that emotion she didn’t pick up on too often, but still enough times for it to be a pattern.

“You’re jealous.”

“Jealous of what?”

“Of Riven. You’re jealous.”

“What? No, I—” He stopped, now at a loss for words, running a hand over his face. There was no point in denying it now.

Musa couldn’t quite believe it herself, but she knew she was right, could see it clear as day. 

“Why?” she asked.

Sam lifted his head, and laughed humorlessly. “You’re really asking me that?”

Taken aback by his tone, she found herself speechless. As far as she could remember, she had never seen Sam like this. They had plenty of arguments, but most of them were trivial, hardly more than a disagreement. Musa had never seen what Sam looks like, much less what he _felt_ like when he was angry, but this is exactly what that was. 

“Yes. I _really_ am,” she said impatiently.

He studied her for a moment, then sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. It’s just….well, you’re a mind fairy. I just assumed…I thought you would’ve known Riven fancies you.”

She blinked, heat rushing up her neck. “Are you—you’re being serious right now? Riven doesn’t...he’s like that with everyone. He’s just a smug bastard.”

When all he did was snort, Musa glared at him. “What? You think I’m wrong?”

It was pointless to even ask, because she could see it all over his face. It moved through her, and she wasn’t sure if the sudden wave of distaste was his or her own.

If Musa was honest with herself, things between her and Sam hadn’t been going well for a while. 

She couldn’t pinpoint the exact day, or even the exact moment where things changed. They had been happy for a long time now—perfectly, brilliantly happy. Even their low moments were a walk in the park. But their relationship hadn’t been nearly the same since it started months ago. At times she could feel it slipping through her fingers, but she would always close her fist, too afraid to let it go.

“It’s just that…” Sam couldn’t even meet her gaze anymore. “I guess I just don’t get it, Musa. The guy is all over you sometimes, and you just…”

Now more than ever she wished she could turn it all off. But she didn’t have to be an empath to understand where he was going with this.

“I don’t know...like….you let it happen.”

Musa closed her eyes, rubbing her temples, and whispered, “I can’t believe you right now.”

“You can’t believe _me_? Really?” 

If it weren’t for the cloud of melancholy around him, she might’ve snapped at Sam. Her first instinct was to be defensive, to refuse everything that had just come out of his mouth, because it was nothing short of ridiculous. Riven acted no differently towards her than he did to any other girl on campus, and if he did then it was because, by some miracle, they were friends. There was nothing else to it. If he felt a particular way about her, then Musa, of all people, would know. 

“This is stupid. I have a paper to finish,” she finally said, moving to get up and collect her things.

Sam stood as she turned away from him. “What, we’re just not even going to talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Sam!” Musa whipped around. “Because I don’t even know what _you’re_ talking about. I’m sorry that you’re jealous of Riven—God knows why—but that isn’t my problem.”

“Do you even hear yourself right now, Musa? I’m trying to tell you, because I don’t think you even know what you’re doing—”

“So, first I know exactly what’s going on, but now I’m clueless? Makes perfect sense,” she said. Noting the stares from nearby students, she attempted to lower her voice. “Look, can we just drop this, already?”

But the look of utter disbelief on his face told her he was nowhere close to that point. “So, let me get this straight. You really don’t think there’s a problem, here?”

“No, I don’t. Other than whatever you’ve got going on in your head, but I really can’t help you with that.”

As she turned to leave again, she felt his hand on her arm—not forceful, but still pleading. When she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but heartache. Maybe she was finally learning to separate her emotions from others, or maybe she was just too upset herself, but she found herself feeling no sympathy for Sam.

“What is this, Musa?” he said. His voice was small and something cracked inside her. “I don’t really know what we’re doing anymore.”

“I don’t know, either.” 

She couldn’t bring herself to look at him anymore, because she felt all of his pain, and that was the worst part of it. It was all his.

Neither of them said anything else, despite the fact that they both lingered in the same spot for what felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been more than a minute. 

It was Sam who left first, and by the time she lifted her head, he was gone—and all the agony and bitterness with him. 

Whatever Musa was supposed to feel at the moment, she didn’t. Maybe it would sink in later, and she’d shut herself in her room and cry until her eyes hurt, or she’d skip class the next day because she was so heartbroken, but right now, all she felt was anger, and it was entirely her own. 

***

Riven didn’t care what Beatrix did anymore, hadn’t cared for months now. 

It was the fact that _she_ seemed to care that bothered him most. Because it couldn’t be a coincidence that any time she passed him in the hallway, she would practically jump on Markus, her latest conquest, or in the canteen during lunch, like now, she would make sure he was looking before eating his face off. 

He did know better than to think Beatrix still cared about him, though. That wasn’t what this was about. Their brief relationship, or whatever it was, might not have been much of anything, but he knew her well enough now to know the girl didn’t care much about anything, or anyone.

This was purely spiteful. She was just trying to get a reaction out of him. 

It wasn’t going to happen no matter how much she tried. 

If she really wanted to make him jealous, Markus was just about the worst person he could think of for the job. The guy was a complete dunderhead. He was a third-year, but Riven had seen him on the training grounds before, and it was a wonder how he made it this far. That’s what made him perfect for Beatrix, though. She only liked whoever was stupid enough to do exactly what she wanted. Any real feelings were out of the question.

Even now, while he rushed to finish his sandwich before training, he could feel Beatrix’s eyes on him, and when he chanced a look, saw the snarky smile stretched across her face, Markus’s arm draped around her shoulders. 

Markus, to his credit, was completely oblivious to her behavior, instead shoving large forkfuls of pasta into his mouth. 

Riven didn’t even want to give her the satisfaction, but it was like watching a car crash. You just couldn’t look away. Not to mention Markus’s hair was dyed bright blue. 

Then there was a flash of red and black, blocking his view of the happy couple. Musa sat down across from him with her lunch tray. 

“I need you to do something for me,” she said.

“Well, hello to you, too.”

“Hi.” She pulled a smile that was anything but genuine. “I need you to be my boyfriend.”

He stared at her for a moment, hoping some sort of explanation would follow. For a mind fairy, she did a fair job of hiding her thoughts. Maybe that was the point.

“Look, I’m flattered, but I like to be properly wooed before committing to anything serious,” he said. “Besides, you’re not really my type.”

Musa rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up! I don’t mean for real. I’m trying to prove a point, and….you don’t need to know all the details, alright? Also, you don’t have a type.”

“You’re going to have to give me _a lot_ more than that if you want me to even consider whatever this is.” Leaning forward on the table, he folded his arms. “And what about your _real_ boyfriend? Not up for the job?”

There was a flicker of something in her eyes, and her shoulders tensed. He never would’ve thought she and that earth fairy were having problems. He couldn’t picture it; either of them ever being anything but sickeningly giddy around each other. 

Riven smirked. “What, trouble in paradise?”

“Actually, we broke up a couple weeks ago,” she said hotly. 

He almost choked on his sandwich. “You _what_?”

As far as looks went, hers could’ve ripped his head off. “Go on, then. I know you find this amusing.”

Truthfully, he did. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. More than anything, though, he was shocked. He tried his best to focus on that, knowing full well one read of him would be enough for her to kick him in the shin. 

“Just confused is all. Never thought I’d see the day,” he said.

Apparently all his efforts were in vain, because her eyes turned purple as she squinted at him. Not even pure force of will could save him now.

“You’re full of shit, you know that? You’re getting such a kick out of this.”

He shrugged. “Only human.”

“Good, so you shouldn’t have a problem with being my boyfriend.”

“I still need more context here,” Riven said. “Did he dump you? You dump him? Was it a mutual dumping?” 

Judging by the way she closed her fists on the table, he was treading dangerous ground. But he couldn’t help being mildly curious.

“Hey, if you want me to do this, I think I have a right to know what happened.” He all but failed to stifle the grin on his face. “Consider it a little background research.”

“You’re…” Musa was on the brink of exploding, and it was entertaining to watch. Then it was like a switch went off; she took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders. “Fine. But you need to wipe that stupid look off your face before I say anything else. Got it?”

“Don’t really see the point. You’ll know I’m thinking it, anyway.” When she leveled him with another glare, he said, “But I guess I’ll play along.”

“It was mutual. Mostly. Sam has a lot of….issues he needs to work through, and we both just weren’t really feeling it anymore,” she said. “There. Happy now?”

All he could do was nod. There had to be more to the story than that, but Riven wasn’t one of her suitemates, and he was sure she barely considered him a friend, so he was given the headline version. As much as he despised empaths, it was times like these that he wouldn’t mind being one. 

“But I’m still not seeing the connection here,” he admitted. “You need a new boyfriend because…?”

She hesitated, studying him, before saying, “Because I need to make him jealous. And Sam hates your guts.”

Riven wasn’t surprised. If he counted, he was sure he had more enemies than friends at this school. What he didn’t know was what he did to earn Sam’s hostility in particular. He barely spoke to the guy. In fact, he barely remembered his name half the time. It didn’t exactly stand out.

“Hmm.” He straightened, narrowing his eyes like he was thinking. “What’s in it for me?”

“Well, you’re not exactly Sam’s number one fan either, are you?”

“I never—”

“Mind fairy,” Musa said.

“I don’t like lots of people,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to do someone else’s dirty work over it.”

“Since when do you have morals?” As Riven took the final bite of his sandwich, she continued, “Come on! Just one night. I’ll...I don’t know. What do you want?”

“Never thought I’d see the day where you’re begging on your knees for me.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Are you going to do it or what?”

Over her shoulder, he could see Beatrix and Markus get up from their table, both of Beatrix’s arms wrapped around his. With Markus easily standing over six feet, she looked like a child, craning her neck to look up at him. It would’ve been a funny sight if their presence didn’t completely piss him off. 

He must’ve been staring, because Musa turned around to look, too. Beatrix shooting him a smirk as they walked away was the catalyst he needed.

“Yeah, alright,” Riven said. “I’ll do it.”

***

With final examinations for the semester just around the corner, a specialist party was a welcome distraction. 

For the better part of a week, the girls spent most of their time in the library, pouring themselves over Celtic Runes texts and History of the Realms readings. Then, when Stella would discuss the latest gossip she deciphered from Instagram stories, or Terra would start to vent about a particularly difficult translation, they decided it was best for all their sakes if they dispersed. 

Musa was typically the one to stay in the library, mostly due to the fact that she heard next to nothing with her headphones on. But they would all reunite at the canteen for dinner before going their separate ways again. 

On the bright side, they were now all on the same schedule. On the downside, that schedule occupied all of their time. They were all focused, determined to do their first period of exams right. 

It was Stella who convinced them all, on the Saturday night before exam week, to go to the specialist party. Having stayed back a year and already experienced examinations, she assured them all that they had done plenty of studying and deserved a break. 

To be fair, it didn’t take much convincing. After days of doing the same thing over and over again, they could all do with a change. 

Musa had already been planning on going long before Stella broached the subject. She and Riven had plans to come out as a couple. It was entirely Riven’s idea, and she had been very much opposed to it. Acting like they were together in front of most of the school didn’t feel like the appropriate first step. For Riven, though, this was _exactly_ the right way to do it. Rip the band-aid off quickly. Besides, Sam was guaranteed to be there, and what was all this for, if not that?

She was just finishing putting the final touches of her makeup when something clattered from Terra’s side of the room, causing Musa to drop her eyeshadow brush.

“Sorry, sorry!” Terra reached down to pick up her phone, which she dropped on the floor. “I was just texting Sam, and—oh, I mean…”

Musa managed a smile, most of the tension in the air coming from her friend. “It’s fine, Terra. He’s still your brother.”

“Right, yeah.” Terra smiled, too, turning back to her desk. Her nerves still rushed through Musa, like a sudden rainstorm. Sometimes she wished she had the power to suppress someone’s feelings, instead of just feeling them. 

“Knock, knock.”

The door was already open, so Stella came in without waiting for a response, two plastic cups in her hands. A warm, fuzzy sensation spread through Musa’s body when she entered—Stella had already started drinking.

“Stella’s specialty coming right up,” the blonde said, placing a cup each in front of Terra and Musa.

Terra picked hers up, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed. “What’s in it?”

“Alcohol,” she said, hand on the back of Terra’s chair. “It’s good for you.”

The earth fairy didn’t look so sure, frowning at her cup. To her credit, Terra rarely drank anything, and usually only did so on her own terms. Downing one of Stella’s mystery drinks before a specialist party wasn’t exactly a safe choice, and Terra was nothing if safe.

Musa, however, took a large gulp of the cup without so much as a glance. She was now, unofficially, Riven’s girlfriend. And she was going to a party where she was guaranteed to run into her ex. She was going to need all the alcohol she could get tonight.

“That a girl, Musa,” Stella said, waltzing out the door to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, ‘Proud of you!”

Ever since her and Sam broke up, almost two weeks ago now, Musa had been overwhelmed with the brew of emotions swimming in her—guilt, pity, sadness. They weighed her down, making it nearly impossible to be in the suite for long periods of time. Maybe it was everyone else’s feelings that prevented her from working through her own. 

After that day in the courtyard, when they went their separate ways, she never did go back to her room and cry. She never shed a single tear, not that day, not the day after, not even now. It was like part of her was broken, but not in the way she was expecting after experiencing her first breakup. 

She knew it worried the girls, too.

“It’s okay to feel sad, you know,” Bloom had told her that evening when it was just the two of them in the suite. She was the first to find out. 

“If you want to talk about it at all, I’m here,” Aisha had whispered on the way to the canteen for breakfast the following morning.

Stella had left a basket of her favorite chocolates on her desk. Musa ate them all that night, curled into the corner of her bed, headphones on and hiding behind her Runes book. 

Terra was worst of all—avoiding her at all costs for the first few days, stopping short in the doorway when she saw Musa was in their bedroom, then continuing on her way to the common area instead. Musa was relieved when she felt no anger from her friend. Only a deep desire to help, but knowing she couldn’t, and her usual anxiety dialed up to its highest setting. 

As grateful as she was for her friends, she couldn’t wait for the day they could just let it go. Perhaps, then, she could, too. 

There was a knock on the door, but not the bedroom this time.

“Bloom!” Aisha called, poking her head out from the bathroom. “That’s probably—”

“Sky? I’m coming!”

The redhead came into view, her newly straightened hair dancing behind her as she reached for the doorknob. 

“Good evening, ladies!” Said a voice that was unmistakably Riven’s. “I’m here to pick up my girlfriend.”

_Fuck._

As she moved to stand up from her chair, she knocked over nearly every bit of makeup off her desk, and if that wasn’t enough, her full cup, too. 

For good measure, “Fucking hell.”

All eyes were on her—the girls, Sky, and Riven. The latter of whom was noticeably more smug than the rest of the blank stares she received. 

If they were alone right now, Musa would’ve laid into him. They might have never properly discussed how they were going to address the matter with their friends, but that didn’t mean he could march into _her_ suite and make an announcement like that with no warning. She knew it was purposeful, too. He always enjoyed the chaos he created. 

But seeing as they had quite the audience, she wasn’t sure where to go from here. Musa had plenty of time to make her friends aware of the situation; she just kept pushing it off. Maybe it was the heavy air in the room ever since the breakup, or maybe she couldn’t find a way to tell them she was going to date Riven that made sense, even if it was fake. Either way, she should’ve accounted for Riven’s carelessness. Then this could’ve been avoided altogether.

“Musa?” Aisha spoke first, eyes flickering between her and Riven. Her judgment was evident, even without Musa reading her. 

Meanwhile, Riven was only making matters worse by coming over to wrap his arms around her waist, lift her off the floor, and spin her around, all before she could take another breath.

When he put her down, she noted Sky’s smile. While uncomfortable, Musa realized he wasn’t shocked like everyone else was. Riven must’ve told him. What she didn’t know was _what_ Riven told him.

Between her now stained shoes, the mess on the floor, the girls, and Riven, Musa didn’t know where to direct her attention. 

Ultimately, she decided to take advantage of the awkward silence, cleared her throat, and said, “I just need to talk to Riven alone for a minute.”

Then it was a multitude of voices, all of them at once stepping forward with a million questions. Musa closed the door, leaning back against the frame. 

Riven’s hand rested on the corner of her desk, the most irritating grin spread across his face. 

“Don’t even,” she said, avoiding his gaze as she grabbed some tissues and kneeled down to clean the floor. 

If his amusement were a voice, it would be a piercing scream, deafening her. She wasn’t sure why he ever needed convincing in the first place; he was far too entertained for his own good. 

“If you’re just going to stand there, you might as well make yourself useful,” she said.

He laughed. “You love asking people to pick up your messes for you, don’t you?”

Musa whipped around, pushing herself back up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” He held up his arms defensively, but his smirk told her otherwise. 

For a brief moment, his gaze dropped over Musa, and something stirred in her. Or, she dared to hope, in _him_. Instinctively, she wrapped her jacket tighter over her tank top, expecting the same tickle of desire she felt at least a dozen times a day around campus. She thought it was there, and something else, too, more than an itch, but it was gone before she could grab hold of it. Anything she thought she sensed before was replaced with a sharp bitterness.

“Stay out of my head,” he grumbled, because it was almost routine at this point. He pretended like she could control it, and she pretended like he didn’t have anything to hide. 

“Did you tell Sky we’re together?” she asked. “Like _really_ together?”

He pulled a flask out of his jacket, taking a sip, fiddling with the cap in his fingers. She realized she was staring, and caught herself before he looked up again. 

“I did,” he said, leaning forward. She could smell the vodka on his breath. “Problem?”

“Why would you do that?”

“I’m sorry. I thought that was the plan. If we’re going to fool everyone, then our friends are probably a good place to start.”

“But I can’t just...they still think I’m not over Sam,” she said.

“That sounds like their problem.” He took another sip, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Look, I already told Sky, and we need to keep our story straight here, don’t we?”

Musa sighed, closing her eyes. All she could think about was their stunned expressions, almost horror-stricken, at the thought of her having anything to do with Riven. Worse, though, was picturing their faces after telling them she was only pretending to be with him to prove a point to her ex boyfriend, who also just happened to be her best friend’s brother. 

Somehow, lying eased her conscience in this situation. She didn’t like it, but it’s not like it would be permanent. A few days from now, she would tell them it’s over, and it would be back to walking on eggshells. She would take that over the alternative, at least.

“Fine,” Musa finally said. “But you need to lighten up on all the physical stuff, alright?”

He snorted. “Unless you’d rather pretend we’re in convent—”

“Alright, alright! I just meant lighten up, that’s all. For all anyone knows we’re a new couple.”

“Whatever you say.” Riven shrugged, pocketing his bottle again. Then, pointing a finger at her, he added, “Just remember, _you’re_ the one who asked for this.”

Rolling her eyes, she went to open the door again to find that, while everyone moved out of the hallway, they were all seated in the common area, silent and eyes darting around the room. It didn’t take a mind fairy to know what, or _who_ , they were all talking about.

Riven stayed behind her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He only had to tell one person, instead of a suite full of girls who thought she was heartbroken. 

She took a deep breath, four pairs of eyes on her. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Riven and I are dating,” she started. “And, I know, I didn’t tell you. I was afraid of what you would all think, especially with…” Her gaze drifted to Terra, faltering before she continued. “I should’ve told you, and I’m sorry.”

Bracing herself for impact, she watched them all exchange glances. Their expressions were unreadable, but their emotions were turbulent. She felt everything—judgment, confusion, concern—and on top of that, guilt for all of it. 

Terra was the worst at concealing her feelings, and for that reason, Musa knew most of what she sensed was her. There was a twinge of hurt in there, too, probably for Sam, but it was brief, largely overpowered by everything else.

“We love you, Musa,” Aisha said, the others smiling with her. “We just want you to be happy.”

And to Musa’s relief, they meant it.

“Fantastic,” Riven said. “Can we go to this party now? I’m almost out, here.” He waved his flask in the air before pouring the last of it into his mouth and heading for the door.

***

They walked into the party with his arm around her shoulders, which she didn’t seem to object to, now that they had a large audience. 

Riven steered Musa towards the line for the keg, her eyes darting all around the room to the point where it was starting to irritate him.

“Looking for lover boy?” he asked, filling a cup for her and then one for himself. 

Musa took the cup from him, frowning. “What’s got your panties in a twist? That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” He opened his mouth to respond, but then she continued, “I’m just sick of everyone staring, that’s all.”

“No one’s—” But when he looked around, sure enough, there were quite a few people glancing their way. He didn’t recognize any of them. Probably fellow classmates of hers. 

“Nosey first-years,” he muttered, downing half his cup in one sip. Musa’s face twisted into scrutiny as she watched him. “Who gives a fuck what they think, anyway?” 

“Well, it’s kind of hard not to when you can’t exactly turn it off,” she said sharply. 

He knew why they were all judging her, of course. It had nothing to do with Musa, and everything to do with Riven. Breaking up with golden boy Sam Harvey, and moving on only weeks later with someone like, well, _him_ , was sure to attract a lot of attention. 

In Riven’s case, this behavior wasn’t new. Even after Beatrix, he’d hang out with a girl for a few days—nothing serious—then move on to someone else, and the pattern would repeat itself. No one cared what he did because it was always the same thing. 

To her classmates, and hell, probably her suitemates, too, Musa was just the latest in a long line of conquests. And in a strange way, they were right. After tonight, they’d go back to being friends, or whatever it was they were now. 

For some reason, the thought stung more than he anticipated. 

When Riven saw her purple eyes, he realized she had been staring at him, _reading_ him, as she quickly looked away.

“Stop doing that shit,” he said. 

“Can’t control it,” Musa said. 

Then she met his gaze again, eyes boring into his. Brown, not purple, this time. There was something about her standing there, looking at him like _that_ , knowing she wasn’t in his head, but still on his mind, that spurred a warmth in him. Of course, it could’ve just been the tequila. 

“Better?” She raised a brow. 

“Looks to me like you _can_ control it.” Riven took a step forward, leaning over her. 

“It takes a lot of energy, but I’m working on it. It helps to focus on the physical.”

“Is that so?” Mouth above her ear, his lip just brushing the edge, he whispered, “What were you focusing on just now?”

His mind must’ve been playing tricks on him, because he could’ve sworn he felt her shiver beneath him. 

“Riven, what are you…”

“You really need to get better at acting,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Considering this was your idea in the first place.”

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” 

Riven froze, looking down to make sure her eyes were still brown. They were. 

“Besides,” Musa said, looking past his shoulder. “Don’t pretend like I’m the only one benefiting from this.”

When he turned around, he found Beatrix and Markus standing a few feet away. Beatrix’s smile stretched wider when his eyes fell on her, squeezing Markus’s arm, who was anything but mentally present.

“Riven, it’s so nice to see you,” she said. “And Musa. I didn’t realize you two were an item. I thought you were still with...that earth fairy.”

“We broke up a while ago, actually.” Musa pulled a tight-lipped smile. Instinctively, Riven wrapped an arm around her waist, hooking his finger into the belt loop of her jeans, and she leaned into his side. 

“Well, how very sweet.” Beatrix’s gaze shifted entirely to him when she said it. “Two heartbroken souls find solace in each other. That’s one for the books.”

“I haven’t been—” 

“Riven.” Musa placed a hand on his chest, strong and firm. Fixing him with a look, she slid her hand down to wrap her arms around his waist, moving the bottom of his shirt in the process. He felt her skin just above his hip. Something about the contact, quietly intimate, grounded him. He wondered if that was her powers at work. 

“Oh, where are my manners? This is my boyfriend, Markus.” Beatrix beamed. “You might’ve seen him on the grounds before, Riven. He’s a specialist.” She gently elbowed the boy in question, and he finally turned his attention to the group.

“Yeah, we’ve met,” Riven muttered.

Markus’s eyes widened. “Oh, hey, mate! I’ve definitely seen you before. Second-year, right? Friends with Sky?”

He pulled a smile. “Right.”

No matter how many times the association was made, it still managed to bother him. Sky was like a brother to him, but he wondered if there would ever be a day when he wouldn’t just be Sky’s friend, or the guy who was second in skill only to Sky. The idea seemed too impossible to even grasp, much less achieve. 

“Well, how about a game of beer pong? Markus and I against you and Musa.”

“Oh, I—” Musa started.

“We’d love to, actually,” Riven finished, and she slowly turned to face him, shooting daggers with her stare.

“Excellent!” Beatrix pulled Markus over to one of the unoccupied tables, and the two of them began setting up the cups. 

Meanwhile, Musa wasn’t done trying to murder him through sheer willpower.

“I suck at beer pong,” she said.

“Lucky for you, I don’t.”

Musa didn’t exactly look reassured, but they positioned themselves at the other end of the table as Beatrix finished filling the cups with water. 

“You two go ahead,” she instructed, grabbing Markus’s arm. The way she acted, Riven often thought she physically had to be attached to him just to keep herself upright.

“Well, ladies first.” Riven gestured to the ball in front of them, leading Musa forward with his hand on her back. 

She picked up the ball, hesitating, as Beatrix’s eyes flickered between the two, smirking. Part of him wondered if she knew it was all a ruse, but he also knew Beatrix. That devilish smile of hers rarely left her face.

Then she threw the ball, and it flew past the formation of cups, sending Markus chasing after it through the crowd behind them. It wasn’t even close. When Musa said she sucked at beer pong, he didn’t think she meant she couldn’t throw a ball to save her life.

“That was shit,” he said.

“Wow, thanks, babe.”

He stiffened before remembering Beatrix’s eyes on them, then smiled and tugged playfully on her pigtail, feeling her wince. “Just being honest, love.”

He let her try again though, for their second turn. It didn’t go much better than the first.

“I don’t know how I’m not getting the ball in,” Musa said. 

“Just ask nicely,” he teased, earning him a shove in the stomach from her elbow.

For every other turn, Riven saved them from complete embarrassment. He resolved to coach Musa a few times, guiding her arm with his, and whispering directions in her ear, aware of Beatrix’s eyes trained on every movement. 

Beatrix and Markus were good, but only together. Riven, to his delight, was better than both of them combined, which made up for Musa’s poor attempt at the game. To be fair, she never missed a shot when he helped her. And Beatrix finally lost the satisfied grin on her face, arms crossed as yet another one of their cups was knocked over. Markus, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, cheering even when Musa and Riven scored. 

When they were finally down to a cup each, Beatrix’s game face was back on. She whispered something into Markus’s ear, and he smiled. Knowing her, she probably just promised him a blowjob once this was over. 

“You do the honors,” Riven said, turning to Musa.

“Me? But—”

“I don’t think you need me to hold your hand anymore. Give it a go.”

Still unsure, Musa picked up the ball, slightly bent over so her head was almost level with the table. Beatrix rolled her eyes impatiently. 

Finally, with one surprisingly graceful throw, the ping pong ball landed in the last cup with a loud splash. Markus threw his arms up, whooping, while Beatrix scowled.

“Did I really just…” Musa looked up at him, eyes glowing like he had never seen before, and not a hint of purple. 

“Nice one,” he said, grinning. “Told you you didn’t need me.”

It was definitely the flashing lights, or the tequila twisting reality, because then she pulled his head down and crashed her lips into his. But then he felt her arms around his neck, her mouth on his, and it was more real than anything he could’ve imagined. Bringing his hands to her hips, he gave in fully. 

Then it was over, and when he opened his eyes he saw Musa staring past him, all the color drained from her face. He turned around and wasn’t surprised to see Sam Harvey, completely frozen in horror. 

“Well, it looks like we did our—” Riven paused, realizing Musa was no longer with him, then caught sight of her pigtails in the crowd, heading for the door to the courtyard. He didn’t give it much thought before going after her.

She wasn’t hard to find, seated by the same oak tree where he usually saw her studying. The dim light from the nearly full moon washed over her silhouette, bathing her in light blue, and catching the shimmer she put over her eyes for the party. 

Her head was in her hands, so she didn’t see him coming. Although, when he was close enough, he knew she felt him when she said, “Leave me alone.”

“Afraid I can’t,” Riven said, sliding down next to her. 

Finally, she sighed and looked up, resting her head on her knees. “What, did you come here to gloat?”

“Well…” He screwed his face up like he was thinking, and she pushed him. 

“You’re such an arsehole.”

Even with her face turned away, he could hear a hint of a smile in there somewhere.

“No, but seriously,” he said. “What was that about? I thought Wallflower Harvey seeing us was sort of the point.”

Now she looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Wallflower Harvey?”

“Because he walks through walls and he’s a...whatever. You’re dodging the subject here.”

Musa twisted her fingers together in front of her legs, playing with the sleeve of her jacket. As far as he could remember, Riven didn’t think he had ever seen her like this—so vulnerable and small, like she would love nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide. 

“I might’ve lied to you,” she began.

“What, you never broke up after all?” 

She gave him a look, and he held his hands up in defeat, gesturing for her to continue.

“About making Sam jealous, I mean. The truth is I don’t really know what I was doing when I came over to you in the canteen that day. I was so...mad about the way things ended with him. I wasn’t totally honest with you about that, either.”

Riven leaned forward until his position matched hers, arms hanging over his knees. He fought every urge to comment, only because, this time, his curiosity outweighed his amusement.

“It wasn’t a mutual break up. Not exactly. You remember that day when you came over before training? When we were sitting here?” When he nodded, she continued. “Sam was, like, really pissed. He was telling me all this stuff about you and me. That you were coming on to me, and you were really obvious about it. And then, the best part was he thought I was entertaining it. Like I was into you, too, or something. It all sounded like shit, to be honest. Shit I didn’t believe at the time.”

He felt his heart pounding in his ears, now, and lifted his head from his legs, perhaps too eagerly. But he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sam hated him; that much he knew. Yet he never understood, nor cared why, because the feeling was entirely mutual.

“So we broke up. We both weren’t feeling it anymore. I hadn’t been for a long time, and I think he figured that out,” she said. “But I was so angry and confused after that, because, well, I’m a mind fairy for fuck’s sake. I think I would know if someone liked me.”

Musa laughed at that, and he felt something tug in his chest. 

“I thought pretending to date you would prove a point, his point, I guess. That you weren’t into me; you just flirt with everyone. And that I didn’t...I wasn’t into you, either.”

Riven found himself leaning forward until their shoulders touched.

“And, well,” she laughed again. “Turns out he was right the whole time.”

“Wait...what?”

She took a deep breath. “He was right about me. I don’t know how or why, but he was right. The part about you, I don’t know. For some goddamn reason, I have no idea what you think about me, and it’s really frustrating. I thought I would’ve figured it out by now, and sometimes I think I have, but then it’s like...I don’t know. And I know you don’t like me getting in your head, but you’re, like, the one person I just can’t get a read on, and—”

He didn’t waste another second, taking her face in his hands, and kissing her. After a moment, he felt her initial shock fade away, and then her hands on his shoulders. They both readjusted their position until she was kneeling over his lap, his back against the tree. 

Riven didn’t know how long they stayed like that, making up for lost time, but when they finally pulled away, they were both grinning.

“Does that answer your question?” He brushed a stray hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek.

“I think so,” she said. “What about Beatrix?”

He frowned. “What about her?”

“Weren’t you trying to make her jealous?”

“Nah,” he said. “I like to give her a taste of her own medicine. She just gave me an excuse to agree to it.”

Musa smiled, pulling his lips to hers again, and he grabbed her waist, moving her so she laid with her back on the grass and he hovered over her. 

“You really didn’t know?” And when she nodded, said, “For a mind fairy, that’s pretty embarrassing.”

“Shut up.” She pushed him off so he was lying next to her, both facing the stars. 

Later, when Musa brought him back to the suite, she told the girls the truth. All of it. For the most part they were confused, and he couldn’t blame them. It’s not often you hear that your friend was pretending to date some guy, only to find out hours later she’s dating him for real.

Riven could barely believe it himself.

**Author's Note:**

> There were, like, so many different ways I could've ended this, but I quite like how this one turned out.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!!


End file.
